IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ausact/v34y2024i4p326-345.html

CEO Dismissals and Financial Restatements: The Role of Ethical Governance and Board Dynamics

Author

Listed:
  • Ru (Tina) Gao
  • Shijun Guo
  • Daifei (Troy) Yao

Abstract

This study re‐examines the relationship between CEO dismissals and financial restatements using a new, comprehensive dataset covering S&P 1500 firms from 2000 to 2018. This dataset offers several advantages over previous research: it provides precise data on CEO dismissals, enables large‐sample analysis and includes detailed reasons for executive departures. Our findings confirm a positive relationship between financial restatements and CEO dismissals, with a heightened likelihood of dismissal in recent years reflecting increased board attention to ethical issues. Additionally, restatements are revealed to amplify the negative impact of weak financial performance on CEO turnover, as CEOs of poorly performing firms face a higher risk of dismissal after a restatement, whereas strong financial performance generally offers protection. Furthermore, we explore how board characteristics affect this relationship and reveal significant heterogeneity in board responses. Specifically, female board representation, directors’ financial expertise, CEO–board connections, directors’ experience with prior fraud incidents, and multiple directorships all moderate the likelihood of CEO dismissal following restatements. These findings provide new insights into the complex interplay among financial performance, ethical governance and board dynamics in CEO turnover decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Ru (Tina) Gao & Shijun Guo & Daifei (Troy) Yao, 2024. "CEO Dismissals and Financial Restatements: The Role of Ethical Governance and Board Dynamics," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 34(4), pages 326-345, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ausact:v:34:y:2024:i:4:p:326-345
    DOI: 10.1111/auar.12440
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/auar.12440
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/auar.12440?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kryzanowski, Lawrence & Zhang, Ying, 2013. "Financial restatements and Sarbanes–Oxley: Impact on Canadian firm governance and management turnover," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 87-105.
    2. Anup Agrawal & Tommy Cooper, 2017. "Corporate Governance Consequences of Accounting Scandals: Evidence from Top Management, CFO and Auditor Turnover," Quarterly Journal of Finance (QJF), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 7(01), pages 1-41, March.
    3. Eliezer M. Fich & Anil Shivdasani, 2012. "Are Busy Boards Effective Monitors?," Springer Books, in: Sabri Boubaker & Bang Dang Nguyen & Duc Khuong Nguyen (ed.), Corporate Governance, edition 127, pages 221-258, Springer.
    4. Ling Lei Lisic & Terry L. Neal & Ivy Xiying Zhang & Yan Zhang, 2016. "CEO Power, Internal Control Quality, and Audit Committee Effectiveness in Substance Versus in Form," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(3), pages 1199-1237, September.
    5. Jeff L. McMullin & Bryce Schonberger, 2020. "Entropy-balanced accruals," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 84-119, March.
    6. Adams, Renée B. & Ferreira, Daniel, 2009. "Women in the boardroom and their impact on governance and performance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 291-309, November.
    7. Matthew Semadeni & Albert A. Cannella Jr. & Donald R. Fraser & D. Scott Lee, 2008. "Fight or flight: managing stigma in executive careers," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 557-567, May.
    8. Graham, John R. & Li, Si & Qiu, Jiaping, 2008. "Corporate misreporting and bank loan contracting," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 44-61, July.
    9. Edward I. Altman, 1968. "Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis And The Prediction Of Corporate Bankruptcy," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 23(4), pages 589-609, September.
    10. Brickley, James A., 2003. "Empirical research on CEO turnover and firm-performance: a discussion," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(1-3), pages 227-233, December.
    11. Hwang, Byoung-Hyoun & Kim, Seoyoung, 2009. "It pays to have friends," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(1), pages 138-158, July.
    12. Wang, Cong & Xie, Fei & Zhu, Min, 2015. "Industry Expertise of Independent Directors and Board Monitoring," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 50(5), pages 929-962, October.
    13. Isabella Grabner & Frank Moers, 2013. "Managers' Choices of Performance Measures in Promotion Decisions: An Analysis of Alternative Job Assignments," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 51(5), pages 1187-1220, December.
    14. Richard J. Gentry & Joseph S. Harrison & Timothy J. Quigley & Steven Boivie, 2021. "A database of CEO turnover and dismissal in S&P 1500 firms, 2000–2018," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(5), pages 968-991, May.
    15. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 2008. "Theory of the firm: managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," RAE - Revista de Administração de Empresas, FGV-EAESP Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil), vol. 48(2), April.
    16. Dirk Jenter & Fadi Kanaan, 2015. "CEO Turnover and Relative Performance Evaluation," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 70(5), pages 2155-2184, October.
    17. Burks, Jeffrey J., 2010. "Disciplinary measures in response to restatements after Sarbanes-Oxley," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 195-225, June.
    18. Agrawal, Anup & Jaffe, Jeffrey F & Karpoff, Jonathan M, 1999. "Management Turnover and Governance Changes following the Revelation of Fraud," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 42(1), pages 309-342, April.
    19. Engel, Ellen & Hayes, Rachel M. & Wang, Xue, 2003. "CEO turnover and properties of accounting information," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(1-3), pages 197-226, December.
    20. Noel Brown & Craig Deegan, 1998. "The public disclosure of environmental performance information—a dual test of media agenda setting theory and legitimacy theory," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 21-41.
    21. Karpoff, Jonathan M. & Lee, D. Scott & Martin, Gerald S., 2008. "The Cost to Firms of Cooking the Books," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(3), pages 581-611, September.
    22. Elyasiani, Elyas & Zhang, Ling, 2015. "Bank holding company performance, risk, and “busy” board of directors," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 239-251.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yaowen Shan & Sue Wright, 2024. "Good Governance," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 34(4), pages 263-264, December.
    2. Manni Zheng & Yuqiang Cao & Zhuoan Feng & Meiting Lu & Yaowen Shan, 2026. "Digital Justice and Corporate Borrowing: Evidence From a Quasi‐Natural Experiment," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 66(1), pages 429-476, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dan Amiram & Zahn Bozanic & James D. Cox & Quentin Dupont & Jonathan M. Karpoff & Richard Sloan, 2018. "Financial reporting fraud and other forms of misconduct: a multidisciplinary review of the literature," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 732-783, June.
    2. Beneish, Messod D. & Marshall, Cassandra D. & Yang, Jun, 2017. "Explaining CEO retention in misreporting firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(3), pages 512-535.
    3. Farooq, Muhammad Umar & Gyapong, Ernest & Gull, Ammar Ali & Usman, Muhammad & Javed, Muzhar & Tawiah, Vincent, 2025. "Do women directors influence CEO performance-induced turnover in China?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    4. Armstrong, Christopher S. & Guay, Wayne R. & Weber, Joseph P., 2010. "The role of information and financial reporting in corporate governance and debt contracting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 179-234, December.
    5. Chang, Sea-Jin & Oh, Ji Yeol Jimmy & Park, Kwangwoo, 2024. "Crowd-sourced CEO approval and turnover," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    6. Habib, Ahsan & Hossain, Mahmud, 2013. "CEO/CFO characteristics and financial reporting quality: A review," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 88-100.
    7. Choi, Daewoung & Gam, Yong Kyu & Kang, Min Jung & Shin, Hojong, 2025. "The effect of ESG-motivated turnover on firm financial risk," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(4).
    8. Hongjin Zhu & Yue Pan & Jiaping Qiu & Jinli Xiao, 2022. "Hometown Ties and Favoritism in Chinese Corporations: Evidence from CEO Dismissals and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 176(2), pages 283-310, March.
    9. Li, Changhong & Li, Jialong & Liu, Mingzhi & Wang, Yuan & Wu, Zhenyu, 2017. "Anti-misconduct policies, corporate governance and capital market responses: International evidence," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 47-60.
    10. Jiang, Liangliang & Wang, Chong, 2024. "Lending corruption and bank loan contracting: Cross-Country evidence," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(2).
    11. Srivastav, Abhishek & Keasey, Kevin & Mollah, Sabur & Vallascas, Francesco, 2017. "CEO turnover in large banks: Does tail risk matter?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 37-55.
    12. Street, Daniel A. & Hermanson, Dana R., 2019. "How do restatements affect outside directors and boards? A review of the literature," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 19-46.
    13. David Gomulya & Warren Boeker, 2016. "Reassessing board member allegiance: CEO replacement following financial misconduct," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(9), pages 1898-1918, September.
    14. Melissa B. Frye & Duong T. Pham, 2020. "Economic Policy Uncertainty And Board Monitoring: Evidence From Ceo Turnovers," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 43(3), pages 675-703, August.
    15. Ma, Liangbo & Ma, Shiguang & Tian, Gary, 2016. "Family control, accounting misstatements, and market reactions to restatements: Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 1-27.
    16. Steven Balsam & So Yean Kwack, 2022. "The impact of connections between the CEO and top executives on appointment, turnover and firm value," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(5-6), pages 882-933, May.
    17. Liu, Chelsea & Aharony, Joseph & Richardson, Grant & Yawson, Alfred, 2016. "Corporate litigation and changes in CEO reputation: Guidance from U.S. Federal Court lawsuits," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 15-34.
    18. Liang, Quanxi & Wang, Zhimin & Guan, Xin & Qin, Wei, 2023. "Party direct control and corporate fraud: Evidence from China," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 274-290.
    19. Dechow, Patricia & Ge, Weili & Schrand, Catherine, 2010. "Understanding earnings quality: A review of the proxies, their determinants and their consequences," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 344-401, December.
    20. Richardson, Grant & Obaydin, Ivan & Liu, Chelsea, 2022. "The effect of accounting fraud on future stock price crash risk," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ausact:v:34:y:2024:i:4:p:326-345. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1035-6908 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.